Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The best single activity in northern Portugal is exploring the scenic Douro (DOH-roh)
Valley—the birthplace of port wine—with its otherworldly, ever-changing terrain sculp-
ted by centuries of hardy farmers. The Douro River's steep, craggy, twisting canyons have
been laboriously terraced to make a horizontal home for grape vines and olive and almond
trees. Unlike the Rhine, the Loire, and other great European rivers, the Douro was never
a strategic military location. So, rather than fortresses and palaces, you'll see farms, vil-
lages...and endless tidy rows of rock terraces, which took no less work—and are no less
impressive—than those castles and châteaux. Locals brag, “God made the earth, but man
made the Douro.”
The Douro River begins as a trickle in Spain (where it's called Duero), runs west for
550 miles (350 miles of which are in Portugal), and spills into the Atlantic at Porto. The
name likely means “river of gold” (though some trace it to a Celtic word for water), per-
haps because of the way the sun shines on the water, or the golden-brown silt it carries
after a heavy rain.
In the 17th century, British traders developed a taste for the wines from the Douro
region. “Op-port-unity” knocked in 1756, when the Marquês de Pombal demarcated the
region—establishing it as the only place that port wine could be produced. To this day,
port remains the top industry, as well as the top tourist draw, of the Douro Valley. The
50-mile stretch on either side of Pinhão is home to some 4,000 vintners and scores of
quintas
—vineyards that produce port (and often table wine and olive oil). While many
quintas
are private, others offer tours and tastings, and some have accommodations as
well.
The Douro hillsides change colors throughout the year, from dusty brown in winter,
scrubby green in summer, and glowing gold in fall. The 5,000-foot-high Serra do Marão
mountain range guards the region, protecting it from the ocean air and creating a micro-
climate perfect for growing grapes. The temperature varies from snowy in the winter to
arid and 100°F in the summer. Much of the Douro's dramatic ambience changed in the
